Quote of the Day

"If Joseph Goebbels was around, he’d be very proud of the Democrat Party, because they have an incredible propaganda machine."

Rep. Allen West

West was condemned by Democrats for comparing the party to Adolf Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda. Hitler was responsible for the Jews murdered during the Holocaust and the deaths of millions of American soldiers.

West then attacked the media was quoting him.

"Once again, you guys will take whatever I say and you will spin it to try to demonize me or demagogue me,” West added. “What I'm talking about is a person that was the minister of propaganda. And I'm talking about propaganda. So please. I'll be prepared to wake up tomorrow and you guys make up some crazy story. Whatever."

For someone who like portraying himself as a tough guy, West does a lot of crying. If West want to get better press than he can start by using less inflammatory rhetoric. Remember West's attack on Debbie Wasserman-Schultz.

"You are the most vile, unprofessional ,and despicable member of the US House of Representatives.

West's reason for calling Wasserman-Schultz names was because the DNC chairwoman correctly pointed out that West support Medicare cuts. It wasn't like Wasserman-Schultz said something about West's Mama. West's idea of being a tough guy is picking a pointless fight with a breast cancer survivor. What a big man.

Update: West cries to the media about how he was not comparing the Democratic Party to Joseph Goebbels. West then sends a letter to Rep. John Conyers comparing Democrats to Goebbels. West just can't help himself.

“Mr. Conyers, The Democrat Party does indeed have a vicious propaganda machine. It espouses lies and deceit and the Master of deceptive information would truly be proud,” West said, referring to Goebbels. “I have been personally attacked and denigrated on countless occasions. I do not appreciate your letter … Truth is Powerful Sir! Steadfast & Loyal, Allen.”

I guarantee that West will go to Fox News and cry about how Democrats and the media are picking on him for correctly quoting his words. West will not point out to Fox News that a study by Fairleigh Dickinson University found that viewers less informed after watching the conservative news network. West doesn't mind "deceptive information" from a news network, if the network in question gives him positive coverage.

Obama Losing the Base Redux

President Barack Obama has members of the Black Caucus angry at him for the horrible debt ceiling deal. Rep. John Conyers was the first member of the House of Representatives to endorse Obama for president. Conyers points out that John Boehner and Eric Canto did not ask for Social Security cuts. Obama threw that in the deal. Conyers went from people have to be patient with Obama to advocating protest marches on the White House.

Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver has called Obama's debt ceiling deal a "sugar-coated Satan sandwich."

Obamabot bloggers and pundits will attack progressives and say they must suck it up and support the president. The Obamabots will lecture progressives on voting for the president in 2012. When has lecturing people to vote ever worked. Conyers says that Obama will look around in 2012 and wonder where his support went. George H.W. Bush alienated the conservative base in 2012. The so-called experts thought Bush will easily win re-election. Bush lost the general election to a scandal-plagued governor from Arkansas.

Scott McClellan on Scooter Libby

Scott McClellan tells John Conyers that Lewis "Scooter" Libby has not proven himself worthy of a pardon. I have no doubt President Bush will pardon Libby. Cheney is close to LIbby and Bush doesn't want another White House official writing a tell all book.

John Conyers, Bush, Iran & Impeachment

Congressman John Conyers, wrote to George W. Bush, that invading Iran is off the table. Conyers will move to impeach the President, if Bush attacks Iran without congressional approval.

Late last year, Senator Joseph Biden stated unequivocally that “the president has no authority to unilaterally attack Iran, and if he does, as Foreign Relations Committee chairman, I will move to impeach” the president. 8

We agree with Senator Biden, and it is our view that if you do not obtain the constitutionally required congressional authorization before launching preemptive military strikes against Iran or any other nation, impeachment proceedings should be pursued. Because of these concerns, we request the opportunity to meet with you as soon as possible to discuss these matters. As we have recently marked the fifth year since the invasion of Iraq, and the grim milestone of 4,000 U.S. deaths in Iraq, your Administration should not unilaterally involve this country in yet another military conflict that promises high costs to American blood and treasure.

There is no way to be more rystal clear than that.

The 2007 National Intelligence Estimate made clear that Iran's nuclear weapons program is dead. The Bush administration ignored the intelligence and publicly overstated the Iran threat. These clowns continue to use the same playbook that got them into trouble with Iraq.

We assess with moderate confidence Tehran had not restarted its nuclear weapons program as of mid-2007, but we do not know whether it currently intends to develop nuclear weapons.

We continue to assess with moderate-to-high confidence that Iran does not currently have a nuclear weapon.

Tehran’s decision to halt its nuclear weapons program suggests it is less determined to develop nuclear weapons than we have been judging since 2005.

The Vice-President won't let facts get in the way of his Iraq narrative. This year, Dick Cheney told blogger Hugh Hewitt, "And I (Israel) they perceive the possibility of an Iran armed with nuclear weapons as a fundamental threat to the very survival of the state of Israel."

The neoconservatives are convinced they can spread democracy by force; which isn't a very democratic way to spread freedom. The neoconservatives can't come and and say overthrowing Iraq and Iran is part of their grand egghead experiment. Instead, they use scare tactics. When that doesn't work they make shit up.

John Conyers and Ted Poe Information Request On Jones Case

John Conyers and Ted Poe have requested the Justice Department give them information on status of the Jamie Leigh Jones case. Jones has gone through State Department channels for two years and has little idea of what (if any action) has been taken on her behave. The Justice Department refused to comment to ABC News about the case. That is hardly a confidence builder.

The Conyers and Poe letter:

December 11, 2007

The Honorable Michael Mukasey
United States Attorney General
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530

Dear Mr. Attorney General:

We are writing to follow up on the letter sent yesterday by Representative Poe concerning the Department’s response to American Jamie Leigh Jones’ report that she was assaulted and raped by fellow employees of Halliburton/KBR in Baghdad, and that in the aftermath of this assault she was imprisoned under armed guard for over 24 hours without food or water.1

Ms. Jones further states that she was told she would be fired if she sought outside medical care and that the results of a medical examination documenting the alleged rape were given by U.S. Army personnel to KBR security and have now “disappeared.”

This report of criminal misconduct directed against a U.S. citizen at the hands of employees of an American-based corporation working in Iraq at the behest of the U.S. Government, as well as a possible cover-up and destruction of evidence, is deeply troubling.

It also raises broader concerns, which the Judiciary Committee has already been investigating, about the Department’s role in enforcing laws protecting Americans who are working in Iraq.

In addition to the general questions in yesterday’s letter, we ask that you provide answers to the following specific questions as soon as possible, and no later than Tuesday, December 18, 2007:

1. Based on the facts as reported by Ms. Jones, does the Department believe that it has jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute in this matter under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act of 2000, 18 U.S.C. § 3261, or section 804 of the USA Patriot Act, 18 U.S.C. § 7(9)? Please explain.

2. Has the Department investigated Ms. Jones’ claims?

a) If not, why not?

b) If so, please describe the course and current status of the investigation and whether it includes the apparent destruction of evidence described above.

c) If so, what offices of the Department have participated in the investigation? Which Assistant Attorney General is responsible for this and other investigations of alleged crimes within the Department’s jurisdiction committed in Iraq?

d) If so, is the investigation limited to events alleged to have occurred in Iraq, or is the Department investigating events that may have occurred in countries other than Iraq, including the United States?

3. ABC reports a statement by KBR that “it was ‘instructed to cease its own investigation by U.S. government authorities ‘because they were assuming sole responsibility for the criminal investigations.”

a) Did the Department issue such an instruction to KBR?

b) If so, please describe the exact terms of the instruction and explain when, why, and by whom it was issued.

c) If not, do you have any information regarding whether any other component of the US government issued such an instruction? Which one?

d) If some other agency issued the instruction, what is the basis for an assertion that an agency of the US Government other than the Justice Department can have “sole responsibility” for all related criminal investigations? Do you agree that the Department should be involved from the outset of an investigation into a serious criminal matter such as this one?

If the State Department's handling of the Blackwater shooting is any indication, they will stonewall. Worse case scenario is the accused will be granted immunity for testimony. That will effectively destroy what little chance there is for procecution.

What is interesting is the rats are jumping ship. Halliburton is trying to pass off accountability on KBR.

Halliburton says it is improperly named in the matter and expects to be dismissed from the case. "It would be inappropriate for Halliburton to comment on the merits of a matter affecting only the interest of KBR," the oilfield services company said in a statement.

The State Department is passing the Jones case off to the Justice Department.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack declined Tuesday to comment on specifics of the case, but he confirmed its Bureau of Diplomatic Security had responded to and investigated the incident. He said the results were turned over to the Justice Department.

The State Department freed Jones from imprisonment at the request of Rep. Poe. Jones details the State Department's bumbling handling on her diary.

February, 2007- I spoke with the state department and was told that my case had still not been presented to the AUSA for prosecution

March, 1, 2007- I contacted the state department and asked when my case would be presented to the AUSA- I was told my investigator was on vacation.

March 16,2007- I was told that my case was sent via FedEx to the AUSA in Florida . I was told that the AUSA was out but would review my case the week of 3/26

April, 25, 2005- I called and asked the state department what the status of my case was or who I could call that would know. I let them know that I was quite concerned since I hadn't heard back from anyone in over a month.

April 26, 2005- The state department told me there s no update. “It is with the AUSA and I will call today but it is my experience that this is the time we want to be patient as their decision is the final one.”

Conyers and Poe are right to question the Justice Department's actions. What needs to be taken into account is why the State Department didn't suspend the contractors involved in the alleged crime and immediately launch an inquiry. A rape case is harder to prove as time elapses. How are we to believe these diplomats can run a country if they can't handle one criminal investigation?

Lewis "Scooter" Libby Update

Scott Horton makes a compelling point about Dick Cheney's involvement in the Libby pardon.

If Cheney was behind the decision to pardon Libby, from any objective perspective that would be for one reason: to protect himself by preserving Libby’s silence. That would be issuing a pardon in furtherance of a cover-up, which is precisely the circumstance for which—in the famous exchange between George Mason and James Madison in the Constitutional Convention of 1787—impeachment was said to have been intended.

Moreover, we know from the recent Washington Post series on Cheney that there really aren’t any major decisions in the White House from which Cheney was divorced.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers will hold hearings to look into the pardon. As well as past Bush and Clinton pardons.

"What we have here ... is that the suspicion was that if Mr. Libby went to prison, he might further implicate other people in the White House, and that there was some kind of relationship here that does not exist in any of President Clinton's pardons, nor, according to those that we've talked to ... is that it's never existed before, ever, " Conyers said on ABC's This Week.

Libby will likely not testify. He has already been convicted and speaking is not in his best interest. Unless Conyers wants to hear Libby plead the fifth.

Bush Press Conference on Attoney Purge

Talking Points Memo has a video of the Bush press conference on the U.S. Attorneys purge. It's a horrible performance even by Bush standards. It really is something when Bush cheerleader Kathryn Jean Lopez feels the need to say so.

Instead, the president has now gone before the press and while delivering his remarks lost his place at least once, and sounded like an exhausted lame duck lamely reading his unconvincing statement..

Of course K-Lo quickly was back in pom pom-waving mode. Scott Horton of the must read email newsletter No Comment brilliantly summed up Bush's performance.

I just watched Bush deliver his response to Congress' request. The cable news commentator instantly described Bush as "firm and vigorous," and I couldn't suppress a laugh. In fact he was Nixonian from the shaky, teetering final days.

Bush is doing himself no favors with his official stance. The Fred Fielding letter to Congress puts the White House on a collision course with disaster.

Such interviews would be private and conducted without the need for an oath, transcript, subsequent testimony, or the subsequent issuance of subpoenas.

That way Karl Rove can lie without fear of legal repercussions. Fat chance of that happening. John Conyers probably read that letter and wondered who are these people kidding.

What will probably happen is White House and Justice Department officials will be subpoenaed and lie under oath. Which sets up the possibility of criminal prosecution. These people learned nothing from the Lewis "Scooter" Libby trial. Bush would do himself and his party a favor by purging officials involved with the U.S. Attorneys scandal. Tony Snow told Brian York that the White House has the upper hand.

Finally, I asked whether the White House believes this is a battle the president can win. "Yes," Snow said. "In terms of presidential prerogative, in terms of preserving confidential communications with your staff — yes."

Snow's interview with York gets even more bizarre.

I pointed to the recent Libby trial, in which there was great dispute over what had been said in unrecorded, untranscribed interviews with the FBI. You need a transcript to know an interviewee's precise words, I said. Snow argued that that wasn't necessary because there will be members of Congress from both parties, staff, and others at the interviews. "There will be a whole lot of people there [at the interviews] to be witnesses to what's going on," he said.

Even a talented spinmeister like Snow can't make that not sound laugh out hysterical. Snow wants the public to believe that people remembering conversations is as accurate as recordings and transcripts. That's just plain bullshit.

Bush has a dismal approval rating and a Democratic Congress. Republicans are telling him to fire Gonzales. Bush will lose.